The Joys of Fatherhood
by NCISgirl1527
Summary: For years Nate has hated father's day because it is a nationally recognized reminder of his biggest failure in life: his failure to protect his son. This year the team is out to show him families come in many shapes a sizes and that his is still a father.


**_This is my Father's Day celebration fic. I know it doesn't really line up with where everyone is this season but just work with me on that okay? Alright I hope that you enjoy it._**

_**Spoilers: None**_

_**Disclaimer: I do not own it.**_

_**Dedication: My father…who actually was employed to help plan this fic. Happy Father's Day.**_

Nate sat in the passenger seat of Sophie's little sports car and started pointedly out the window. Today was father's day. On a list of his least favorite days of the year, it came third after the day Sam died and Sam's birthday.

Today he had been planning to spend a very long time getting very drunk so he could forget everything. He needed to forget that it was father's day because every time he remembered it reminded him that he was a useless piece of scum. He had failed to do the one thing in life that had been expected of him above all others. He had failed to protect his son. He had lost the most important thing in his world and there was no way to get it back.

"Can we go home now?" Nate asked her still refusing to look anywhere but out the window.

"Nate," Sophie said gently, "I don't want you to be there by yourself."

"Why not?" he asked her grumpily.

"Because you are just going to drink yourself into a stupor," Sophie replied.

"That was kind of the idea," Nate mumbled under his breath not intending Sophie to hear but she did.

"Don't be like that Nate," she begged him, "You have people who care about you and you are just going to hurt them by drinking."

"What does it matter?" Nate asked. He was speaking aimlessly at this point, much like shooting flaming arrows without knowing or caring where they would land. "I killed my son."

"You did not kill Sam," Sophie told him firmly. "Don't you ever say that again,"

"I was his father," he told her, "I should have done more."

"Nate you did everything you could," she reminded him.

"I could have stolen a painting," he pointed out in a flat dead voice.

"And what good would that have done you?" Sophie asked, "You would never have had enough money to pay for his recovery if you lost your job, and what about after? Would you really wanted to have your son grow up seeing you through bullet proof glass?"

"What is this a freaking therapy session?" Nate asked her angrily.

"No," Sophie replied, "I was trying to help you so you didn't fall back into that sniveling pit of despair you like to live in, but I don't have to take this crap. I can just take you home right now."

"Finally," Nate replied knowing that he was being awful to Sophie, but he couldn't bring himself to stop.

They drove back to his apartment in complete silence. Nate was radiating anger and self-disgust from every pore on his body. Sophie was unreadable. After several more minutes they pulled into the parking lot of Nate's apartment complex. They both got out of the car and Sophie followed Nate upstairs to his apartment. Listlessly Nate turned slid his key into the lock and opened the door. The sight that greeted him was the last one he would ever have expected.

There was crepe paper and balloons taped to the walls of his apartment…and the banister on the stairs…and the ceiling…and just about everything else. He turned tot look at the sitting area and saw a huge banner hanging over the television complex. The banner proclaimed 'Happy Father's Day' in large brightly colored letters.

"What is this?" he managed to choke out looking at Sophie.

"Why don't you ask them?" Sophie asked pointing to Parker, Eliot, and Hardison. The three younger members of the team were standing against the far wall watching Nate and Sophie.

"What is this?" he repeated, this time looking at the three of them.

"None of the three of us have ever known our real fathers," Parker started. Her upper lip twitched slightly at the though of all her foster fathers. "But you took us all in and made us into a team. You made us feel accepted. You made us feel loved." Parker threw a look at Eliot who picked up the explanation where she had dropped it.

"You can be…" Eliot pause for a moment.

"Hard to deal with," Sophie supplied and Eliot nodded in thanks.

"But the point is when it really comes down to it you are there for us," Eliot finished.

"I think that if any of us had a chance to choose our father," Alec told Nate, "we would have chosen you."

Nate looked at his three team members. He could never tell them how much their speech had meant to him. He had looked on them as his family for a long time. He might have forgotten that today, but now he remembered and doubted he would ever forget. He knew that their words came from the heart and as thieves that was a very hard place to speak from.

"Thank you," he told the quietly. "That means a lot to me. You guys have become family to me over the past year. I…Thank you."

"You want your presents?" Parker asked significantly lightening the mood in the room.

"Are any of them stolen?" Nate asked with a glance at Sophie.

"Don't ask questions you don't want to know the answer to," Sophie chided him. Nate knew wisdom when he heard it so he dropped the subject and let Sophie lead him to the couch. Eliot and Hardison both took a chair, while Parker and Sophie sat on either side of Nate on the couch.

"Mine first," Parker told him as she stuck a badly wrapped package in his face.

Parker watched proudly as Nate opened his gift. She had never had a father so she did not know what to get one. Fortunately Sophie had given her some ideas.

Nate unwrapped the roll of paper and found a beautiful picture. "I love this picture," Nate told Parker, "Thank you." Parker smiled happily and so did Nate. This picture had special meaning to him not only because Parker had given it to him, but also because it was a copy, he hoped, of the picture Sophie had been stealing when he first met her.

Hardison was next. He handed Nate a small wrapped package. Opening it Nate found a very interesting looking electronic gadget. "I love it Hardison," Nate told him, "but what is it?"

"A fifth generation I-phone," Hardison told him proudly.

"Hardison," Nate said slowly, "Last time I checked the fourth generation I-phone hadn't been released."

"Relax Nate," Hardison told the older man, "I have connections."

"Well thank you very much," Nate told the younger man.

"You're welcome," Hardison replied, "and it has all of Maroon 5's songs loaded onto it." Nate did not asked how Hardison knew that Maroon 5 was one of his favorite bands, but he had a sneaking suspension that the reason was brunette and named Sophie.

Last of the three was Eliot. He handed Nate a pie container with a bow on top. Nate looked at the pie box and was less than shocked to find a pie in it. What did surprise him was the flavor.

"I have always believed that a well crafted pie can," Eliot started but Parker jabbed him in the ribs. "Pie makes everything better." Everyone in the room smiled at that.

"This looks delicious Eliot," Nate told him, "What flavor is it?"

"Blueberry Peach," Eliot replied, "I thought you might like it."

"It's actually my favorite," Nate revealed. Eliot smiled because he had known that perfectly well when he made the pie. Sophie had told him.

"The food for lunch is in the kitchen," Eliot told the group.

"Alright," Nate said, "You go in ahead. Sophie and I will be there in a moment." The other three walked into the kitchen and Nate turned to Sophie. "You were in on this the entire time weren't you?"

"Yes," Sophie admitted, "but it was their idea. I just wanted to help remind you that you have made a great father."

"Thank you," he told her.

"It was them not me," she told him. Gently she kissed him on cheek and followed the others into the kitchen.

He watched her leave and knew that the four of them would be waiting when he walked in. Maybe father's day was not all bad after all. Nate smiled at that and then he walked in to join his 'family' in the kitchen.

_**Did you like it? It was just kind of light and nice. Please review. **_


End file.
